Immune
by KT8812
Summary: The first boy that sets Bella's heart racing is immune to her charms, but more often than not, immunity is an abstract concept . . . AH/AU
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Bella groaned and buried further beneath the blankets, trying to ignore the incessant ringing from her alarm. She dozed off as soon as it stopped ringing but on its second ring she finally threw off the covers and glared at the innocuous clock. Bella Swan hated Monday mornings more than Tom Sawyer. Feeling like the dark clouds hovering on the small town of Forks, she headed off to the bathroom to get ready.

As she rumbled along in her ancient red truck, she tried to down the thoughts of the upcoming day in the voice of Avril Lavigne. Angela was waiting for her in the parking lot and welcomed her with a smile which she forced herself to return.

"How was your weekend?" she asked.

"Same old," Bella replied. 'Charlie went fishing, I did the laundry and we had pizza for dinner because he insisted I have a day off."

"Predictable," Angela murmured. "Let's go into Port Angeles this weekend, it is bound to be better than staying in town."

Bella shrugged her shoulders, non-committal as always.

She often got the feeling that she was sleep walking through her life. Time seemed to move at a sluggish pace in their small town, trickling painfully like molasses. There was no excitement, no great joy, or even great sorrow. Life was plain, boring and staid. She wondered if there was ever a moment in people's life when they suddenly felt a light bulb go off in their heads saying 'Hey! This is what I want to do with my life!' She was plain, simple and had no ambition. She wondered if that made her a lesser individual, not having any specific direction to take her life in, nor having the drive to do so. At the end of it, she couldn't even bring herself to care about that.

She actually bumped into Angela when she stopped short.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Something's up," Angela replied.

Following the path of Angela's eyes, Bella saw the Barbie group huddled near the school entrance. It comprised of the four most stunning pieces of Forks female population- Tanya Denali, Kate and Irina Schwartz, the twins and Rosalie Hale. They were the quintessential American beauties, blonde, beautiful, and bitchy. They lived in a world entirely different than the one in which the likes of Bella and Angela lived.

Soon, Bella understood what had made Angela stop short. While always dressed like runway models, even Bella's fashion blind eyes could see the extra short skirts, the overtly displayed cleavages and more dramatic make-up the group wore.

"What's gotten into them?" Angela mused. "It's not like it the prom or something."

Before Bella could make a comment, their answer drove up in a shiny new Hummer, from which four of the most perfect human specimens ever created by God set foot on the hallowed grounds of Forks high school.

* * *

><p><em>This will be a story with short chapters, but frequent updates. It will be slow to build, so I request your patience. Enjoy!<em>


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

"Whoa," was the only expression the usually articulate Angela could come up with. Bella couldn't even come up with that lowly syllable.

For the first time, Bella felt something akin to a pang in her chest. For the first time, she wished she wasn't herself; that she was someone more beautiful, _interesting_ even.

Three unbelievably handsome boys and a tiny, fragile, fairy like girl stood in the parking, assessing their surroundings. The boys looked like nothing normal teenage school boys looked like and the girl seemed too tiny to be in a high school. A lull seemed to fall over the school ground as girls, boys and even the teachers stopped to gawk at the new comers. The waif like girl bobbed on the balls of her feet, looking like a she was about to take off jumping on a pogo stick, while she was being held in check by one of the boys with wild, chaotic rust colored hair. He seemed to smile at her with an indulgent, though slightly exasperated expression. The tall muscular man, because there was no way you could mistake him for a boy, was looking around with a devilish grin, eyes dancing in mirth while the lanky blonde stood leaning against the car, a cigarette dangling from his lips looking like he was bored out of his mind.

For a few long moments, it was as if the wind had stopped blowing, before the trance broke with the Barbie group's high pitched giggles and obvious preening.

Bella shook her head to clear it and pulled Angela along with her.

"Oh my God, who are they?" Angela whispered. "Or should I ask, _what_ are they?"

"Whatever," Bella mumbled, not wanting to admit that she was equally affected by their flawless beauty.

The school was humming with news of the new comers and soon it was known that they had relocated recently with the new doctor, Carlisle Cullen.

"I saw him at the Thrift way when I was shopping with my mom. And I like, almost fainted!" Jessica gushed at lunch as Bella sat quietly, listening to the conversation. "He is so handsome; he doesn't look like he's the father of two kids in high school. And his eyes," she swooned. "It like the sky on a summer's day."

"Who are you talking about?" Bella interrupted.

Jessica gave her a glare. "Get your head out of your books for once, Bella! I'm talking about Dr. Cullen, you know, the Cullen's father," she said, jerking her head towards the table at which the Cullen siblings sat, in an entirely unsubtle way.

"It's weird," Mike piped up, looking at the siblings with clear distaste. "I mean, they're all practically the same age, you can't have four kids with just about a year's difference in their age."

"Eww . . . Mike," Eric elbowed him in the ribs, nose wrinkled at the subject of reproductive sex and pregnancy.

"Come on," Mike pestered, "even you can't be that bad with math. It's simple counting," he proclaimed, pretending to count on the tips of his fingers. A small fight with mock punches broke out between Mike, Eric and Tyler.

Bella redirected herself away from the fray when she caught the tiny Cullen female sending her a beaming smile across the cafeteria. Caught unawares, she actually looked about her shoulders to check if she really was the recipient of that dazzling smile. The girl broke into peals of laughter at Bella's reaction, but continued to smile at her. Bella blushed beet root red before excusing herself and rushing out of the cafeteria.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading!<em>


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong>

_What the hell was that? _

Bella wondered even as she continued on her way to the Spanish class, her stomach protesting as it churned with hunger. She had never been the recipient of any kind of attention, other than the embarrassment she wrought upon herself now and then due to her clumsy nature. Never ever had she been focused on and consequently she had never learnt how to respond to such stimuli.

Why would a complete stranger smile at her like that? It was impossible, but somehow that girl had such a _knowing_ smile on her face; almost as if there was a secret known solely by her.

_Stop over thinking it Bella!_ She scolded herself mentally. _Some people are just plain weird. There's nothing more to it than that._

She sat on her designated bench, alone as usual. Sometimes, she felt quite invisible to people. And she had convinced herself that she was happy with the situation. She passed the time idly doodling on her notepad, thinking of everything and nothing at all.

As the bell rang, the class started filling up with students. She broke out of her thoughts when she felt the foreign whoosh of someone sitting down next to her. Her incredulous eyes met that of the new pixie girl, her green eyes sparkling with unrestrained joy.

Bella gulped and turned to her notepad.

"Hi," the girl chirped. "I'm Alice!"

Bella had never thought that she'd use that word to describe a human voice, but it truly was the only way she could describe it.

"Uh, I'm Bella," she mumbled.

"Great! Now that the introductions are out of the way, we can be best friends!"

Was this girl for real?

"Huh?" was Bella's inelegant reply.

Alice squealed and threw her arms around Bella's neck in a choke hold.

"Oh, Bella! We are going to have so much fun! And of course, Angela can always join us. We need to go shopping! Maybe we can go to Port Angeles this weekend . . ." she continued, paying no mind to Bella's imitation of a gaping fish.

Luckily, she was saved from having to come up with a response to Alice as Ms. Lopez walked into the class.

Bella continued walking in a daze as Alice linked her arm through hers and walked out of the class, chattering continuously. She was about to stop her when they reached the English Class, but Alice turned to her to give her another unwarranted hug and said, "I'll see you in gym, Bella."

Bella continued to gape after her and then slowly shaking her head entered the English class, wondering what had gone wrong with the world today. Lost in her thoughts, Bella bumped into what seemed like a solid wall of muscle. Before she could take a step back or apologize, she was thrust away from said wall and hit the opposite wall with a force that knocked the wind out of her. Disoriented, she found herself looking into a pair of storm grey eyes as they glared at her.

"Don't fucking touch me," hissed the golden haired boy from the Cullen's entourage before quickly striding away.

* * *

><p><em>Ummm . . . what do you think?<em>


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 4:<p>

Bella once again began her impersonation of a gaping fish while the guy looked as disgusted with her as he would with a child with his fingers in his nostrils. He brushed past her and walked down the hallway with loping grace.

_The guy swore at you and all you can think of is his grace?_

As was becoming the trend for her, Bella sat down absentmindedly at her desk, only to find herself quickly flanked by Jessica and Lauren. Internally, she groaned.

If there was anything worse than petty schoolgirls, it was _idiotic_ petty school girls. While Rosalie and her Barbie gang were the shallowest people she could ever think of, at least they were smart at their academics. That was a slightly redeeming quality as far as Bella was concerned. Jessica and Lauren on the other hand were the poster girls for dumb bimbos.

_And Lauren's not even blonde_, Bella thought wryly.

"So," Jessica began in her fake patronizing voice which irritated the crap out of Bella. "What were you and Alice Cullen talking about so intently in there?"

Her face was scrunched up; red with the breath she was holding in anticipation. It really made her look quite constipated in Bella's humble opinion.

"She said something about shopping," Bella muttered, suppressing a shudder at the thought of going shopping with the chirpy, _bouncy _Alice.

There were twin gasps of astonishment from around her.

"Why would she want to go shopping with you?" asked Lauren, her tone dripping with disdain. "Doesn't she have eyes?" she wondered, not bothering if Bella heard.

Bella saw red. She knew she was nothing to look at and she never made an effort, not that she could afford to spend a lot on her looks with her father's humble policeman's salary. But that didn't mean people could be rude to her.

She put on the sweetest, saccharine smile she could manage while swallowing down her bile and turned to Lauren.

"Why don't you let her know that you're interested in going shopping with her? I am sure she'd appreciate the company since I already declined?"

The smile that lit up Lauren's face could be compared to that of a drunk when standing in front of a tankard full of rum. A significant look passed between her and Jessica as they stood up.

"I think we'll do just that," she said, neither looking back once their purpose was served.

Bella smiled a bit, but instantly felt a bit guilty when she thought of the evil witches surrounding Alice. She didn't want to cause Alice any problems. Alice was new in town and the thought of her trusting them made Bella worry. She didn't hate Alice, she didn't even dislike her. It was just Alice's unusually happy behavior that made Bella a bit uncomfortable. She decided to drop in a word of warning later on in the day.

"Is this seat taken?" asked a smooth velvet voice.

Bella found herself looking into vibrant green eyes similar to Alice's and getting distracted with the mop of bronze hair on the top of Edward Cullen's head.

* * *

><p><em>And the fun begins!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 5:<p>

"I'm Edward Cullen," he said by way of introduction.

"I know," Bella responded.

When he gave her a crooked smile, Bella blushed.

"I mean, I'm Bella Swan."

"And you blush," he observed with a slight smile.

"Unbelievably," she muttered.

"It's cute."

She blushed deeper.

"It seems everyone here knows us, we seem to be the talk of the town," Edward stated, without a trace of smugness thankfully.

"It's a small town, nothing much ever happens here, so yes, it's a big deal when a new family moves into town. Especially one as big, affluent and beautiful as yours," she added without thinking.

"So you think we're beautiful?" he asked with an impish grin on his face which made her heart stutter a bit.

"Of course you are, any blind man could see that," she said, trying her best to sound cavalier.

"If that's so . . ." he trailed off as Mr. Berty entered the class.

As he droned on in a monotone, Bella thought the man ought to be hanged for making Romeo and Juliet sound so drab and dull.

She got distracted when a piece of paper was slipped beneath her fingers.

_Is he always so boring?_ was written in hand-writing so beautiful, Bella immediately thought of calligraphy.

_Worse_, she scribbled in her chicken scrawl.

_It's sacrilege_, he wrote back. _Is there any way he'd let us out of the class? Share the secret with me and we can skip together!_

It felt like her brain had shorted. She couldn't think of anything.

_No way, I'm the police __c__hief's daughter. There's no way I can think of skipping class_, she wrote back.

She regretted her answer as soon as she passed it on to him. Now he'd never want to be friends.

_Any chance you'd want to take an advanced project on English literature? It'd allow us to actually learn something new and constructive without Mr. __Berty's__ interference. It'd also get you extra credit for college, _he tempted_._

Did he ask what she thought he did? He wanted to work on an extra-credit project?

He was actually willing to spend more of his free time working with her?

When she looked at him, his smile was easy, guileless. Before she could catch herself, Bella found herself smiling back and nodding in return.

His answering smile was dazzling.

When the bell rang, they started gathering their books.

"So," Edward said, leaning against the desk. "I'm going to talk to Mr. Berty about the advanced coursework. I'll fill you in about how he takes it."

"And you want me to partner you in this?" Bella hesitated. She just wanted to be sure he knew what he was getting into.

"Absolutely, as long as you're okay with it, Bella."

"Would I be okay with actually enjoying the literature I read?" she snarked. "Yes, count me in."

"Great! Meet in the parking lot then, I'll let you know how it goes."

Edward simply grabbed his books and moved off towards Mr. Berty, giving Bella a little wave.

As Bella walked towards the locker rooms, she couldn't help but think of another way in which his actions could have been construed.

He wanted to spend extra time with her outside the regular classroom hours.

_It's just work, Bella. He's being friendly and getting you extra-credit in the process. You should be grateful for that_, her subconscious scolded.

Ten minutes later, she stood in the required shorts and t-shirt, wishing she could turn invisible for the next hour. Bella hated gym with a passion. There were innumerable instances of Bella hurting herself while attempting physical activities as simple as walking, but gym was a place where she also had the potential to hurt others.

_Please don't let me hurt someone, please don't let me hurt someone_ . . . she chanted internally.

"Swan!" coach Clapp barked.

Bella flinched as if she'd been poked in the ribs.

"Your serve," he directed, handing her the shuttlecock and pointing towards the in-built badminton court.

She could see the few spectators cautiously stepping back and gulped.

She gripped the handle of the racquet hard and tossed the shuttlecock into the air. As she moved to hit the airborne bird, she managed to pull a muscle in her arm and the racquet went flying from the momentum of the swing.

Once again Bella flinched at the distinct sound of the metal racquet meeting human flesh.

Cradling her arm, she turned to apologize to her victim amidst the sniggering and stopped short when for the second time in a day she found herself looking into the infuriated eyes of the blonde Cullen.

* * *

><p><em>Leave me some love, let me know what you think!<em>


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 6:<p>

"Is there anything you can do right for once in your miserable existence?" hissed Jasper at the apologetic girl standing in front of him.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry, I'm just a little clumsy," she stuttered.

"That's the understatement of the millennium!" he said and stalked away with a disgusted face, not caring that Gym was not over.

Bella felt a strange tightening in her heart as she watched the blonde Cullen walk away from her for the second time that day. Her eyes pricked and filled up with tears surprisingly fast.

"Bella! Are you ok?" asked a concerned Angela as Bella dashed off her traitorous tears.

"Yeah, just pulled another muscle. This one stung a bit much." she looked around surreptitiously to check if anyone else had seen her loss of composure.

"Maybe you should see the nurse," said Angela, her hands fluttering nervously around Bella, afraid of hurting her further.

"I'll do that," Bella said, grasping the reprieve. "Tell coach Clapp for me, will you Ange?"

"Sure, you take care. I'll see you after school."

Bella barricaded herself inside the girls' locker room and let the deluge of tears pass. With each passing moment though, her sorrow turned to anger. She couldn't understand the irrational sorrow of having him talk to her like that. She had been teased and rebuffed several times in her life, but never had it hurt so badly.

"God, I'm PMSing," she moaned as she changed into her regular outfit.

After splashing some cold water on her face, she decided she looked relatively presentable. She just needed to go home and maybe read a bit of _Pride and Prejudice_ from where she had left off the previous day. That would most likely bring her out of her funk.

Just as she made to leave, the rest of the students started trickling into the locker rooms, indicating that school was over for the day.

Bella made her way to the parking lot and was fumbling around in her bag looking for her keys when they slipped and fell into the puddle of dirty water at her feet.

"Someone up there hates me," she grumbled before plunking her hand in the freezing cold water and wading around before pulling out her keys with a triumphant _aha_!

"And you won the jackpot!" came the musical voice from behind her.

"Jesus!" Bella swore, clutching her chest, smearing it with the muddied water.

Edward stood there, cool as a cucumber, snickering at her reaction.

"Cullen!" Bella barked, "Hasn't your momma taught you not to sneak up on girls?"

"You're adorable when you're flustered," he said, taking her hand and squeezing some hand sanitizer onto it.

Bella looked at it incredulously.

"Which pure blooded American teens carry a hand sanitizer on them?"

"The ones that like to keep their hands clean," he retorted.

Bella snorted.

"So what did Mr. Bertiyhave to say about your proposal?"

"It's all done, Swan, we just have to meet with him by the end of the week to finalize the topic of our project and we're good to go."

"I can't believe how you managed to get him to agree! He's usually so against these extra credit projects! Thank you, I owe you one," Bella gushed.

"Nah, 'tis I who owe you a favor my fair lady, since rumor has it that you decided to strike some sense into my heathen brother."

"Heathen?"

"Yup, I already heard about how you, in your irritation, rammed Jasper on his head with your racquet."

"That's not what happened," Bella moaned, dropping her head into her hands.

"Whatever, I'm just glad someone smacked him upside the head, he's been asking for it, that one."

"If you're done talking to Miss _Graceful _here, we'd like to get home _Eddie pie_," came the malicious voice of Jasper Cullen.

Rage exploded and clouded Bella's vision red as she moved to stand in front of Jasper.

"What is wrong with you," she demanded, punctuating each word with a poke to his chest.

She did not notice him gasp at her touch or the way his eyes glazed over.

"I made a stupid mistake and bloody well apologized for it. If _you_ don't have the _grace_ to accept the apology, the least you can do is not cry and sulk about it like a kindergartner!" She got into her truck, driving away with far more dignity than what would be expected from someone driving that behemoth.

She never turned back to see the two young men she had left in her wake, one with an entirely dazed look and the other with a goofy grin on his face.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the delay, graduate applications are insane!<em>


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>

Edward Cullen had never seen a girl get a rise out of his brother the way one Bella Swan did. To say he was overjoyed was an understatement.

Most people tended to focus on Emmett, the big, burly, raucous goof who loved drawing attention. His practical jokes were a thing of legend amongst the Cullen household and all those who had the dubious fortune of being his acquaintance. However, what most people missed was Edward Cullen.

Oh he was noticed to be sure, one would have be blind to miss a dandy like him. However, most people lost the ability to think when they saw him and never figured out the shrewd brain behind his iridescent green eyes. While he was never the prankster amongst his siblings, he had perfected the art of 'mind fuck' as Emmett insisted on calling it, much to their mother's distress.

He had despised the family's move to Forks, though he would die before he admitted it. He never showed it much, but he loved his family dearly and was fiercely protective of them. He understood that sometimes, one had no option but to move on from past grievances and as was the norm, he fluidly did what was required when the move to dull, dreary and wet Forks was suggested.

He, much like his father, did not have the heart to tell his mother that no good ever came of keeping certain secrets, but again, neither of them could bear to watch the hope fade from her eyes.

He sighed, leaning his forehead against the cool glass that was the southern wall of the Cullen mansion. He knew that the direction his thoughts were taking him was a dangerous one. He had a diabolical mind and nothing ever came of him having too much free time on his hands. But he was so bored! The town was tiny, wet and green. That was all there was to it, but then Bella Swan had entered the scene and made the landscape so very interesting!

The very next instant, he sat himself down at his beloved baby grand, the first notes of _Claire de __Lun__e_ echoing in the cavernous room. Edward played the piano when he was in deep thought. It was one of his quirks. Years on the instrument had made playing it a second nature to him and while his fingers flew gracefully over the keys, his mind pondered new possibilities and beginnings.

Esme Cullen peeked into the hall from the library and watched her son play the piano voraciously after several days. The past month had everyone busy with the move and there hadn't been much time for anyone to indulge in their hobbies. While her heart rejoiced in the music, her mid told her there was more behind the music than her son was letting on. She knew something was coming and decided to warn Carlisle.

They knew that they needed to 'gird their loins' when their musical prodigy started playing in earnest. Just as she was about to turn back to her reading, she heard a high pitched squeal from the bedroom upstairs. She paled as she saw Alice flit down the stairs and join Edward on the piano bench by jumping on his back and hanging on like a monkey. Edward laughed as he continued to play without missing a note and made a revolted noise in the back of his throat when Alice placed a big, slobbery kiss on his cheek.

Resigned, Esme sat down on her favorite chair in the library. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the terrible twins but wait and watch.

* * *

><p><em>I know some of you might be tired of Edward, but good things come to those who wait!<em>


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvellous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

"Hello?"

"Who's there?

"Hello?"

"If you take the pains to dial a number, you might want to talk when the other person picks up!"

"Hello to you too, Bella," came the silky voice.

"Oh for heaven's sake, what do you want Edward?"

"Do I need to have a reason to call you?" He actually had the audacity to sound offended.

"We met for the first time today. Where did you get my number from anyway?" she demanded.

"This is the number of the chief of police of Forks. I got it at the diner."

She could hear the grin in his voice.

"What do you want, Edward? I am in the middle of cooking and Charlie will come after you if he finds out I burned his dinner because of you," she threatened.

"I just wanted to ask if you'll be able to come over to my place tomorrow."

"And why would I want to do that," she asked, absentmindedly stretching to stir the sauce on the stove.

"Have you forgotten already that we are going to be working on an extra credit assignment with me? Really, Bella, you wound me."

Bella tucked the cordless phone in the crook of her neck and started chopping the peppers. "We haven't even decided what we want to work on and Mr. Berty has yet to give me the green light. I've already told you how stingy he is with regards to extra-credit projects. Just because you could charm him, does not necessarily mean that I'll be able to do the same."

Her neck had started aching from the awkward position it was in and being distracted when working with a knife wasn't really healthy for her."Look Edward, let's talk about this in school tomorrow, okay?"

"You're hanging up on me? Come on, Bella. Even if Mr. Berty doesn't approve the project, you can still come over to hang out right?"

"Fine but . . . shit!" she cursed as the unattended sauce boiled over. As she switched off the gas burner, a few scalding hot drops dripped onto her hand and she instinctively braced her self on the kitchen counter, catching the fingers of that hand on the knife.

The salty, rust-like smell of blood invaded her senses and the phone crashed to the ground.

Don't faint, don't faint, she chanted internally as she pressed the kitchen towel to her cut fingers. Just then, frantic pounding in the front door started. Woozily, she tottered to the door and pulled it open to find a tense Edward on the porch.

"What happened? Why did you scream like that?" he fired off before she could respond in any way. But in the next instant, his gaze was drawn to the towel which was quickly becoming saturated with her blood.

"Jesus, Bella! What did you do to yourself?" he asked as he pulled off the towel to inspect her injury.

"It's your fault," she moaned, but the smell of the blood made her vision swim before she blacked out completely.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, it's short and late, but it's better than nothing right? Wonder how Edward got there so quickly?<em>


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9:<strong>

She had a bad feeling about it, but she knew it would help.

God! It was frustrating beyond measure. She had never had so many conflicting feelings about anything else before.

She just hoped she wasn't guiding Edward wrong.

Jazz needed her, she just knew!

Before the first ring could complete itself, Alice Cullen picked up the call from her twin.

"What?" asked the normally effervescent girl.

"Shit! Did you know this would happen? Is that why you asked me to call her only after I was parked outside her home?"

"Tell me what happened, you moron!"

"She cut herself up and fainted on me," he managed to grunt out while maneuvering the prone girl into his car. "I'm taking her to Dad at the hospital." It was a statement which brooked no argument.

"Do that, the rest can wait."

She did not mention that Jasper too happened to be at the hospital for his scheduled.

Nurse Penny Rose had seen many memorable moments in her twenty five years of serving the Forks hospital.

There had been the triplets born to Michelle Duncan after five miscarriages. She had felt that tears of joy were over rated, but she had cried joyous tears that day.

Then there had been little Stanley 'Button' Higgins, all of five years who had fallen into the ravine near the river when on a trip from school. After over three days of exposure to the elements and the wild, he had been naught but dehydrated, sleeping quite literally under a giant rock. The kerchief his mother had pinned to his uniform had given away his hiding place by flying away on the wind at the most opportune moment.

The Higgins family still had that kerchief, it hung from the mantle in the main hall, though little Stanley was not so little anymore.

Then there had been the day when a half dead Sam Uley dragged in his fiancé, Emily Young, her face disfigured from a wolf attack. It had been the worst case of a romantic camp-out gone wrong.

Penny sighed, popped one of the chocolates gifted by that dashing Dr. Cullen into her mouth and thought back to the marriage of those two love birds. It was the first time any of the 'pale faces' had been invited on the reservation.

Of course, Charlie Swan had always been an exception to that unwritten rule, what with Billy Black claiming that they were brothers, not in blood but soul. Some even whispered that the chief of police had undergone an ancient Quileute ritual which tied him to Billy Black as his 'blood brother'.

But no matter how many times one witnessed accidents, one never became accustomed to them.

This is why Nurse Penny Rose nearly had a coronary when a shiny, silver Volvo screeched up onto the first few steps of Forks General Hospital and the good Dr. Cullen's son stumbled out with the prone form of the Chief of Police's daughter in his arms.

* * *

><p><em>An early update to make up for yesterday's delay! Things are getting interesting now . . .<em>


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 10:<p>

Carlisle Cullen had finally found the time to complete the stack of pending paper work on his desk. He carried out the motions of completing the paperwork, but his mind was distracted by the presence of his son in the hospital.

Jasper had always been a sensitive child. He had been all of eleven when he'd had to move into his Aunt's family. Elizabeth and Don Whitlock had been extended family, even before Carlisle had married Esme. Tragedy had struck the family, leaving Jasper alone and in the care of the Cullens. Carlisle knew that they had never been able to take Jasper's parents' place. And how could he forget his past when it haunted him always, day in and day out?

"Dr. Cullen, the emergency room," panted his most faithful nurse, opening the door to his cabin without knocking.

The next instant, Carlisle was breaking into a jog towards the emergency trauma room, years of medical practice kicking in. What he found was a scene he would never forget.

His sons were crouched in a pose more animal than human over a prone body on the gurney.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" snarled Jasper.

His anger was not something that surprised Carlisle, though his anger stemming from concern from someone else was certainly unprecedented. Carlisle took a moment to be grateful for the fact that his son still retained empathy for others.

"That is quite enough!"

Both boys turned towards their father, one with a slightly chastised expression, the other with utter defiance.

"Who brought her in? What happened?" Carlisle fired away as he took in the blood soaked rag and the bleeding gash on the girl's fingers.

"These will need stitches, though I am more concerned about her unconscious state," he stated, already starting on cleaning the wound and disinfecting it. "Order a CT scan for her please, Penny."

"There was no head trauma Dad, she opened the door with her bleeding hand and then just . . . passed out," Edward said. "I caught her before she hit the floor."

"What were you doing at her house?" Jasper asked sharply.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Bella is going to be working on a project with me for school. I'd gone there to discuss some details with her."

"Enough! Both of you leave the room now. Go home and we'll talk about this later."

Though he heard a huff and something that sounded suspiciously like a growl, he heard no arguments from either of his sons. His hands worked reflexively on the girl and noticed her facial features for the first time. She had a demure face, a petite frame, the complexion flawlessly pale with a halo of mahogany locks.

His intuition told him that his sons were disputing not about the beautiful girl's health but something far more commonly found in seventeen year old boys. If his hunch was correct, before long, one of his sons would be heartbroken.

Just as he finished the stitches, the girl moaned, signaling her return to the land of the living.

"Easy does it," soothed Carlisle. "You've had a bit of an accident; you are at Forks General right now."

Bella Swan had opened her eyes with her mind groggy and eyes swimming in and out of focus. The face hovering above her was unknown to her, but never for a moment did she feel threatened. On the contrary, she wondered if she was hallucinating about angels, but the stinging in her fingers quickly snapped her out of her delusion.

"Umm . . . how did I get here?"

"My son brought you here, do you remember what happened?"

"Oh! Yes, you must be Edward's father!"

"Indeed I am," replied Carlisle, glancing through her file. Bella saw his eyes widen comically and groaned internally. She felt the blush creep up on her face as the fair doctor no doubt read in black and white about her history of clumsiness.

"It seems you are quite a regular patient here, Miss Swan," he said, not without a trace of humor.

Bella moaned and hid behind her bandaged fingers in mortification.

"I'm clumsy," she muttered.

"Yes, I can see that. This time it has got you a total of five stitches, though I don't see any problems in the healing process. It was a clean cut and Edward brought you here immediately. I am more worried that you passed out, and I would like you get a CT scan."

"That's not really needed; I am sensitive to the smell of blood. It nauseates me and I guess I passed out from it."

Checking her pupil dilatation, he had to agree that her reflexes were good.

"Well, in that case, I will let you go without one, but any hint of dizziness or blacking out and I want you to come in," he informed.

Bella was nodding beautifully when she heard the gruff and panicked voice of her father.

She sighed.

Chief Swan had arrived.

* * *

><p><em>Next up is a JPOV! Let me know what you think so far.<em>

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for Updates and tid-bits!_


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the typos and incorrect sentences in the previous update. FFn saw fit to eliminate words left right and center!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 11:<p>

Jasper Whitlock Cullen was irritated.

He was well acquainted with the particular emotion, yet the reason for it this time was a far cry from the normal repertoire of things which pissed him off.

He tossed and turned on his bed, the black comforter tangling with his legs. Kicking the comforter to the floor, he punched his pillow and finally stilled with a huff.

Jasper had never seen such eyes.

It was those damn eyes, he decided. They irritated him.

But they were so beautiful!

Damn irritating eyes.

No, it wasn't the eyes. It was the fucking hurt he had put in them that haunted him.

Irritated him.

Pissed him off.

Over the years he had seen several reactions to his rude behavior.

He knew the narrow eyed, pinched look given by teachers who had the misfortune of teaching him. He knew the jaw clenching glares sent his way by other boys in his class. He was well acquainted with the indignant screeches of the girls he callously rebuked. He was pained by the open disappointment on his mother's face and the resigned acceptance in her glance.

But no one had ever looked hurt at his behavior.

And it wasn't enough that he saw the pain in her eyes. He also had to see her bloody and unconscious on a hospital gurney.

Fucking Edward.

Edward wasn't coming clean about something. Edward had that slightly wicked gleam in his eyes, the kind that told that he was up to no good. And Jasper hated it. Jasper hated the fact that Edward was there when she got hurt and that it was he who brought her to the hospital.

Was Edward truly present at the wrong place at the right time? It seemed too much like co-incidence that he was there just when Bella got hurt. Maybe he was lying, maybe he had spent the entire afternoon at Bella's place.

What had he been doing there? Jasper did not for a moment believe that he was there for the English project. Edward could challenge a doctoral student on any literary discussion. All Jasper had ever seen his brother do when he was alone was stick his nose in a book. Emmett had always mercilessly teased Edward about his love for books, but that had not dissuaded Edward in the slightest.

As was the trend in the Cullen family, predispositions towards any arts, crafts or sciences were encouraged and supported to the fullest. Thanks to Edward, the Cullens now had a library that could rival any public library. Only in this case, there was a fierce competition between Carlisle's medical tomes and Edward's eclectic collection to overgrow any empty shelf in the library. Esme had a separate shelf dedicated to gardening and interior designing books.

Frustrated, knowing he was no where near sleep, Jasper opened the door to peek in the hallway. Sure enough, the light under Edward's door burned bright and Jasper swore softly. Edward could put a vampire to shame. Didn't the guy ever need sleep?

If he wasn't sleeping then surely he wouldn't mind a visit, Jasper mused.

Striding forward, he flung open the door to Edward's room. There he was, lying in the middle of the bed in nothing but his pajamas with little ducks painted on them, a book in his hand. He did not show any surprise as Jasper's unexpected entry, but simply cocked an eyebrow in question.

"What were you doing at Bella's house? The truth, now!"

"We were making out like rabbits in Chief Swan's bed just for the thrill of it," Edward deadpanned.

For just a moment, Jasper's body seized from top to toe with rage. Then, he lashed out.

"Liar!" he hissed as he grabbed Edward's neck in a chokehold.

Anticipating his brother's move, Edward freed himself with relative ease.

"Of course I'm lying you idiot! But you obviously didn't believe me when I said I was there to talk to her about the English project!"

"What's going on here?"

Both boys turned to a rumpled looking Alice in her girly pajamas.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Alice. Go back to bed." The last part was spoken softly by Jasper to reduce the sting of the first sentence.

When she didn't move, he huffed.

"This isn't over," he threatened Edward. "We'll be having words, you and me." He stalked out of the room.

Had he bothered to turn back even once, he would not have missed the significant look that passed between his twin siblings.

* * *

><p><em>If I get one more review or PM saying Edward and Alice are creepy, I'll scream!<em>

_So, how was the first chapter from JPOV? Let me know . . ._

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for updates and tid-bits for **Immune.**  
><em>


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 12:<p>

Jasper hadn't had the best night's sleep. He never had been much of a sleeper, but yesterday night was particularly bad.

He dragged a hand through his messy curls, not bothering to comb them before he took to the stairs, going down to get some breakfast.

Only Esme and Carlisle were at the breakfast bar, the others obviously running late.

"Morning," he murmured, placing a couple of piping hot pancakes onto his plate with a spatula. The slight crinkling around his eyes gave away his pleasure at having his favorite breakfast. In return, Esme's smile at having pleased her boy was bright as the sun.

He got himself some cereal and poured a glass of orange juice and sat down to the serious business of eating. He could be accused of anything in the world, but disrespecting a good breakfast wasn't one of them.

"They're going to be late," Esme worried.

Carlisle arched a perfect eyebrow.

"With Edward driving, I doubt that's going to happen, love."

"You need to talk to him about it. The way he drives, Lord, it makes my heart jump into my throat."

"He has a level head. It's Emmett I worry about. Speeding does not blend well with his monkey antics. I'm afraid one of these days he might plough down a tree or two."

"How can you be so cavalier about it?"

Carlisle took his wife's hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

"They love their cars too much to take risks like that. They know the minute they step out of line, the cars get taken away. We've been blessed with sensible children."

"You have no idea how I doubt that on some days," Esme sighed.

They finished their breakfast, the delicate clink of cutlery against the china the only background noise. Carlisle read a medical journal, Jasper concentrated on his food while Esme looked on lovingly towards her son and husband while sipping some tea.

As Jasper was downing his glass of juice, Esme reached for his plate.

"Don't," the reprimand was curt and harsh.

Esme recoiled. No matter how many times the same thing had happened, she couldn't get used to the stab of pain when her son behaved so.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, leaden; with a conscience of its own, a sentient being of which everyone was aware of.

Jasper stood and brought his breakfast dishes to the sink. He scrubbed them clean and wiped them down before putting them away. He never used the dish washer.

"God, I'm starving and there's no time!" yelled Edward, breaking the tension and making a bee line for the pancakes. He picked one up from the stacked, buttered it and folded it twice, before scarfing it down with his bare fingers, not bothering to take a plate.

"Edward Anthony!" Esme shrieked. "Where are your manners?"

But he was already wiping his hands on his jeans, giving her a roguish smile as he advanced towards her.

"Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands," she admonished.

Esme Cullen might have given birth to Edward, but at his present strapping height, she was dwarfed in front of him.

Edward grabbed his mother, twirled her around before dipping her in a move smooth as Elvis and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you Mom," he hollered as he dashed away to the garage.

"That boy is going to make my hair go grey."

"I quite liked what he did. I think I ought to be inspired by him," said Carlisle, a rare mischievous glint appearing in his eyes.

He swooped on his wife, her giggling sounding like music to his ears as he dipped her in a way similar to his son, but his kiss landed on her lips, lingering for quite a while longer.

In the background, they could hear Alice trilling and Emmett cursing as he pounded down the stairs. Edward was revving the jeep, music blaring from the speakers. He had, surprisingly, chosen heavy metal today. Emmett was arguing with Edward, wanting to play hip hop which Edward refused. Emmett in turn demanded to drive if he couldn't listen to music of his taste, while Alice sat rolling her eyes, her hands busy filing away her nails.

The one thing no one noticed was Jasper's stiffened spine as he pointedly turned away to give his parents some privacy. No one noticed how his hands balled up into fists, or the pain reflected in his fluid eyes, before they hardened to steel.

The mask was back on. He was Jasper the douche bag that people avoided at all costs.

He intended to keep it that way.

There would be no chinks in his armor.

* * *

><p><em>Glad to know some of you actually like Edward and Alice in this story! Trust me, they aren't evil!<em>

_Sneak peek at the next chapter will be sent out to those who review._

_So, what do you think of Jasper's behaviour?_

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for updates and tid-bits on **Immune.**_


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 13:<p>

Bella trudged up to the school building, her heart leaden.

She had heard Mr. Molina order lancets for the next class. She knew what that meant.

Hemoglobin estimation.

Ugh!

Her hand wasn't even healed completely from the cut that had sent her to the ER most recently. She was not fond of the smell of blood. She had barely made it when there was blood typing last semester. Her own blood made her dizzy. She was bound to faint again. How could she not? There would be a room full of people pricking their fingers, squeezing out fat drops of blood and then sucking it into tiny little pipettes.

"What's got you so down?"Angela whispered.

"Molina ordered lancets for today's class."

"Ouch, but looking at you hand I'm sure he'll let you skip!"

"He won't make me do the experiment, but he won't let me leave the class either. All that smell!" she moaned.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but it's just weird that you're so sensitive to the smell of blood. Like maybe you're part vampire or something."

"Yeah," Bella snorted. "I like that idea. Cullen would be the first one whose throat I'd rip out if that was the case."

"Uh-oh! Which one did what?"

Bella narrowed her eyes. "Now that you ask me, I'm not sure which one I'd like to off first. Jasper is downright rude, but Edward is an annoying little brat. Not to mention, he was the reason I ruined my hand in the first place! Dad was so freaked out and now he's making me eat the diner food every day because he won't let me cook!"

"Got nothing to say about Emmett?"

"Huh?"

Angela pointed out the giant as he was passing through the corridor.

"Have you seen the size of that guy? He could take on more monsters than just puny old vampy me. Besides, it seems Rosalie Hale is hell bent on getting her hooks in him. No way am I ever going to cross her. She's scary!"

"If Rosalie gets to him first, there'll be no blood let for you. She's a leech!"

Hearing such vehement comment from the normally soft spoken Angela made Bella giggle. Being the daughter of a pastor, Angela had the patience of a nun, but apparently, Rosalie Hale had made it her life goal to push everyone's limits.

"I think you should go after Jasper, not Edward. At least, due to his actions you won't have to prick your own finger. Seriously, my hands seem to get a mind of their own every time I have to prick my finger. The one with the lancet stops without my commanding it to and the one I'm supposed to prick moves away from the one with the lancet!"

Bella remembered how hard it was to prick her own finger for blood typing. It might just been a pin prick, but deliberately hurting your self is no easy task. It's like your brain is hard wired to keep your body from hurting itself. She remember that after a half hour's futile efforts, she had managed to prick her finger so shallowly, that she could barely squeeze out the required three drops of blood onto the slide before the blood clotted in the wound.

Today would be so much more difficult than that and she was feeling really thankful towards Edward for making it impossible to perform the experiment. Pricking your finger is one thing, but pipetting her own blood from the wound would have made her throw up before fainting.

The only small solace was that Biology was before the lunch hour. Bella had deliberately skipped her breakfast, so there really wasn't anything in her stomach to throw up.

She attended Algebra and Spanish dreading the last class before lunch.

By the time she reached Biology, her stomach was in knots and she thought that there was nothing in the world that could make her day worse.

She was wrong.

Jasper Cullen was sitting in the only empty place in the biology classroom, next to Bella's designated seat.

* * *

><p><em>So, what do you say?<em>

_Let the fire works begin!_

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for updates and tid-bits on **Immune.**_


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

Chapter 14:

For a moment, Bella wondered if she could simply turn back and pretend that she had mistakenly entered the class. Her luck was completely out though, since it was sat that moment Mr. Molina decided to walk up behind her.

"Ah, Miss Swan. How is that hand of yours doing?"

"It's much better now, but it'll probably take a week before the stitches come out," Bella said quietly before turning in the isle and walking towards the gallows. Already, from his posture, she could tell he wasn't going to be friendly.

His hands were crossed across his chest. He was defensive. His shoulders hunched in, which was surprisingly vulnerable. Almost as if he were unconsciously trying to make himself small so that people wouldn't notice. His left leg jumped continuously, indicating his anxiety, and he kept staring at the desk, which had nothing on it.

Bella wished, not for the first time in life, that she could lie convincingly. She could just not have turned up for school today. She was normally such a regular student that had she mentioned _cramps_ to Charlie, he would have easily agreed for her to stay back.

_Too late_, she thought.

She sat down next to Jasper and prayed that the hour would be up quickly.

Mr. Molina began the introduction of the lab. He talked about Hemoglobin, its necessity, anemia, and finally, hemoglobin estimation. People in the class seemed to be divided into two parts. The first kind was eager to get to the blood and gore, just so that they could watch the other squirm. The others, like Bella were simply trying to keep the contents of their stomachs where they belonged.

"Now, you will be working in pairs. Please come and collect you Hemoglobinometer and sterile lancets from the table. While you'll be working in pairs, I expect all of you to measure your own Hemoglobin content. And please take care while pipetting. If you do not use HCl quickly enough, your blood will likely clot in the pipette and block and we don't want that, do we?"

One person from each pair started moving to get their apparatuses.

When Bella look to Jasper, she found he had gone even more rigid than before, his jaw clenched, face pale as a ghost.

"Um, do you want to or should I just . . ."

When she received no response, she sighed.

"Right, I'll just go get what we need."

As she approached the table, Mr. Molina caught her eye.

"I understand it's not possible for you to use your own blood, but I think you should still perform the remaining aspects. You can borrow Mr. Cullen's blood once he pricks himself, but apart from the blood drawing, I want you both to perform the experiment separately."

As she turned to gather her supplies, Bella rolled her eyes.

The guy couldn't stand to breathe the same air as her, and Mr. Molina expected her to borrow _blood _from him? But there was nothing she could do but try. She just hoped that Jasper would co-operate and not make too much of a scene.

She brought back everything they needed, including cotton swabs for sterilization, and placed the supplies meticulously on their bench.

When it was obvious Jasper would make absolutely no move, Bella began to get mad. Obviously he was going to make this as hard as possible.

"Look, I hurt my hand and I am in no position to draw my own blood. Mr. Molina said I could take some of your when you prick your finger. We both have to perform the experiment separately and we have only one set of standards in the apparatus. Do you want to go first?"

The look he gave Bella was such a combination of fury and incredulity that she wanted to shrink back. However, despite being an introvert, Bella was no pushover so she just looked him in the eye with what she hoped was a calm expression.

"You want to use my blood?"

When Bella nodded her assent, he gave a sharp mirthless laugh which for some reason chilled Bella's bones.

No teenager should have such hollow laughter. What had happened to make him so bitter?

"I won't be pricking myself. I never cut myself deliberately, especially not if we have to work with something like that," he said, nodding towards the small pipette lying with the rest of the things on the desk. He was looking at it as if it was a weapon of mass murder.

"Look, I understand if you're squeamish around blood; I am too. I hate its smell and it makes me nauseated, but there's no escaping this. I don't want Mr. Molina to give us a zero for this assignment!"

"Not going to happen," he said shortly.

"Look, if it bothers you so much, just close your eyes and look the other way. I swear it doesn't hurt much. I'll just suck a few drops of blood and we'll be done."

"Are you insane?" he yelled, standing up so sharply that the chair he was sitting on toppled over with a huge crash.

Before Bella could decide whether she wanted to be hurt or angry about his reaction, Mr. Molina appeared, obviously sensing trouble.

"What seems to be the problem here, Mr. Cullen?"

"I won't prick my finger," he hissed through clenched teeth. "You'll be hearing from my father."

Before Mr. Molina could respond, he was out of the class.

Bella's face flushed, partly from anger, partly from the gazes of her classmates, all locked on her.

"Well, for now, Mike, come help Bella with the experiment, I'll be having words with Mr. Cullen's father."

Mike readily popped over to Bella's place.

"You can take my blood any time you want Bella," he said with a wink.

Bella's stomach roiled further at the comment, the blood still pounding furiously in her ears.

She had never met a douchebag like Jasper Cullen.

* * *

><p><em>Updates might become erratic now. I finally received an acceptance letter to a PhD program in the US and things will now get insanely hectic!<em>

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for updates and tid-bits on **Immune.**_


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

* * *

><p>Crashes echoed through the Cullen mansion as Jasper let lose his fury in his room. He shattered anything breakable in his room, fists pumping, legs crushing, yet the only sound coming from him was his heavy breathing. Though he was the most emotional of the Cullen children, he rarely gave voice to his feelings. And in moments like these the silence was more terrifying than his screams would have been.<p>

Esme Cullen sat in the living room of the mansion, regal as a queen. The only visible cracks in her composure were the tears that had gathered in her eyes. Initially, when Jasper was new to the family, his bouts of bad temper often left Esme sobbing in a heap on the floor, unable to bear the pain of his agony. Her current composure was a testament to how many times these incidents had happened in the past. She could now almost pretend that this was a normal occurrence in her home.

The sound of her husband's car on the driveway was of little comfort. She had long past accepted that she cared not for the reason of her son's breakdown. She simply wanted to hold him when he was hurting, but touch was a luxury he never afforded himself. Her tears finally won out and spilled on her cheeks when she saw her husband's defeated posture.

"He's been at it all afternoon."

"They had Hemoglobin estimation at school. Obviously, he refused. I got a call from his Biology teacher about it. I've taken care about it, he shouldn't have any problems."

"We should have done this as soon as he started school here. So much pain could have been avoided," she whispered even as she found comfort in her husband's arms.

"It was his decision to make. He did not want to tell anyone unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Didn't do much good, did it? How did the teacher take it?"

"Surprisingly well," said Carlisle. "I am hoping that he will not betray our confidence. He told me he understood and that we can expect his full co-operation regarding this matter, but he also said that Jasper needed to be better behaved."

Esme sighed as her husband continued.

"I am inclined to agree with him. A teacher cannot let his students undermine his authority, no matter how genuine their problems. Jasper should have handled the situation better. Making such a public and dramatic exit is going to make tongues wag."

"He handled it better when they had blood typing in Chicago. I wonder what set him off this time."

Carlisle did not speak out loud his concerns over his son's strange behavior over the Swan girl. Having seen Jasper's reaction to the unconscious girl in the hospital just a few days back, he wondered what had elicited such a strong reaction from his normally taciturn son. The girl was almost a complete stranger, and the fact that both his sons seemed to be somewhat invested in her made warning bells go up in his mind.

Carlisle took a moment to thank God for small mercies. Both Edward and Alice were off to Port Angeles for an impromptu visit. It made Jasper doubly uncomfortable to know that his melt down had been observed by his siblings.

Finally, finally the noise from Jasper's bedroom stopped. Both Carlisle and Esme listened carefully, wondering if it would start again and then breathed a sigh of relief that the storm had passed.

"I'm going to start dinner. I think it has been quite a while since we had some barbecued ribs, right?" Esme asked as she moved to the kitchen, without waiting for Carlisle's answer.

He knew she was trying to comfort her hurt son in the only way he allowed her to, by making his favorite food.

Upstairs, Jasper sat in the ruins of what was once his room. As always, the tornado of emotions had left emptiness behind. He had done this several times in the past, so he knew the drill. He stood and began collecting all the broken bits of glass and pottery into a special bin he had demarcated for glass recycling. The task was slow and painstaking, since he took extra care not to nick himself in the process. Next came the splintered furniture, essentially his desk and chair, both of which were beyond repair. He piled them in a heap in a corner, before starting in the torn paper which he again separated carefully to recycle. When all this was done, he moved to the torn linens. He collected the bed-sheets and curtains before turning to the pillows that lay on the floor, torn and battered.

Something sharp pricked his thumb as he picked up the pillow. On closer inspection, he found a shard of glass nestled in the down oozing from the ripped pillowcase. He held up his thumb to inspect the cut and saw a fat drop of blood ooze out quickly followed by another. He watched fascinated as red quickly formed a thin stream before jolting into action.

He rushed to the bathroom, thrusting his thumb under water, before pulling out peroxide from the shelf under the sink. Gritting his teeth, he poured a generous quantity on his thumb, more than required before taping up his thumb in antiseptic gauze. He stood there in a daze, watching the tiny droplets of his blood that were congealing on the side of the sink. He pulled on his scrubbing gloves and cleaned the sink thoroughly, looking for any rust colored spots he might have missed. Finally, when he was satisfied, he walked back into his room.

Stripped bare of everything but his massive bed and mattress, it was unrecognizable. He left the room, carrying an armful of trash and dumping it in the camp-fire pit they had in their backyard. The glass and paper containing bins were set separately so they could be recycled. As he made way to get the linens, he heard his mother call out from the kitchen.

"Barbecued ribs for dinner, honey. It'll be served at eight."

It sounded like the most normal thing a mother would say to her son, but Jasper's sharp eyes missed nothing. He saw the redness around her eyes and nose, a tell-tale sign that she had been crying. His heart stuttered at having caused the wonderful woman more pain. He had sworn he would try his best to never upset his adopted family with his outbursts. It had been over a year and half since he lost his shit like that.

He dumped the linens on the pile of debris in the camp-fire pit before adding gasoline to the whole thing and setting it on fire. Once again, his eyes caught on the spots of red on the torn pillow case and he continued to watch the flames lick higher till it was consumed.

That night, he dreamt of blood spots on pristine sheets, brown eyes, and a lilting voice wanting to borrow his blood.

He woke up with a start in the middle of the night, cursing the poison that ran in his veins.

* * *

><p><em>The response to the last chapter blew me away! Thank you for all the favs and alerts!<em>

_Leave me a line, either as review or as PM, and let me know your hypothesis about what is wrong with Jasper!_

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for updates and tid-bits on **Immune.**_


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer for her marvelous characters. I enjoy putting them in impossible situations.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Tawny, you are the best!<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 16:<p>

Bella huffed again.

Over the clanking of pots and pans, her intermittent huffing and muttering was clearly audible.

Angela smiled.

Sitting at the dining table with books spread open, Angela was observing her best friend. She had never met anyone quite as unique as Bella. She was quiet, shy and introverted, but she was also passionate, stubborn and feisty. Over the several years Angela had known Bella, she had never seen her quite so disconcerted.

"Crap!" Bella cried when she realized she had added salt instead of powdered sugar to the berry cobbler she was making. "God damn it." She dumped the contents in the trash can. "Why does he have to be such an asshole!"

"Who are you talking about?" Angela asked innocently.

"You know who."

"Why are you so riled up about him? We live in a nation where douches like him are dime a dozen. He's statistically insignificant." "He's not insignificant when he makes my already bad day intolerable! You did not see how he spoke to Mr. Banner." "You'll be hearing from my father," she mimicked, thrusting her nose in the air, chest puffed out as she walked out the door of the kitchen.

Angela let lose a peal of laughter.

"No matter what happened, I'm sure you're exaggerating. No one, and I mean no one behaves like that!"

"Oh believe me, it happened exactly like that! He's a rude, arrogant, insensitive . . ." she ranted.

"Really, you seemed to be getting obsessed with him, just let it go!"

". . . jerk!" she finished.

"And now I've ruined dessert."

"Now then, what caused this tragedy?"

Both girls jumped, eyes wide turning to see Charlie leaning against the doorway, in his police uniform.

"Dad! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that? You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

"And how many times have I told you girls to keep the front door locked? Anyone could walk right in and you girls wouldn't even notice. Bella, baby you have to practice basic safety and caution."

"It's Forks, the worst crime happening here is the punch getting spiked at prom."

Charlie's brow furrowed.

"Really? When did that happen? Kids these days . . ."

"It was just an example."

"Yeah, well, what's all this about a ruined dessert? Bells, I though I told you to stay out of the kitchen till you've had your stitches removed at least."

"My hand's all healed; I'll be getting the stitches out the day after tomorrow. It's all good."

"You see these grey hairs?" Charlie asked, pointing to the slight graying along his temples which gave him a rather distinguished look. "That's because of you, young lady. It's bad enough that you're so clumsy, but really, this aversion you have to blood is insane."

Bella simply rolled her eyes, moving to scrub the pots and pans in the sink. It really was tricky, trying to scrub dishes with one hand.

"Bells, you fainted after getting cut. Thank God, that Cullen boy was there to catch you and get you to the emergency room. Can you imagine what could have happened?"

Bella cringed as his voice became louder and sharper.

"You could have hit you head while falling, broken something, even as you continued to bleed. You do know that blood loss in great quantities can kill you, right? I had a twelve hour shift, I wouldn't have known. You could have gotten a concussion as you bled out and I wouldn't have known! Do you have any idea what it would like have been, walking in the door to see that? My baby girl lying in a pool of her own blood, unconscious?"

He was breathing hard, his eyes a bit wild and Bella felt a pang of regret. It was for the first time she had seen her father lose his legendry composure. It warmed her to realize that it was simply a manifestation of his love for her and reached to hug him impulsively, taking him by surprise.

Angela, the intuitive girl she was started gathering her books which were strewn across the dining table, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment.

"It's not like I have hemophilia, you know. The blood would have congealed," she mumbled into his chest.

"Oh, Bells," he sighed and held her before he became conscious of the fact that they had company.

Before he could say something, Angela spoke up.

"I should get going now. Mom will be worried if I stay too late."

"Stay for dinner, Angela. I'm sure Bella made enough," Charlie muttered, blushing something fierce at having lost his composure in front of a guest.

"I'd love to, if it's not too much trouble?" she asked, looking at Bella.  
>"Of course you are welcome to stay. The pork roast needs another half hour in the oven before it's done. We can set the table in the mean time."<p>

"I'll just go freshen up before dinner."

Soon enough, the table was set and the smell of delicious pork roast wafted in the air.

"Smells good, Bells," said Charlie, moving away to change and freshen up.

"I wish I was half as good as Bella at cooking. I always seem to mess up," said Angela, taking an appreciate sniff.

Soon the dining room was filled with the clink of cutlery interspersed with the occasional groan of pleasure or a word of compliment for the chef.

"So, football season is coming up, Chief Swan. Will you be there to cheer our high school team?"

Charlie grimaced. Yes, he was a football fan, but Forks High School was nothing to write home about. He was wondering how he could escape from the invitation without sounding less than impressed with their home team when Angela spoke up again.

"You know, with Emmett Cullen, we might even stand a chance."

His brow furrowed as his mind brought up an image of a tall, brawny, muscular guy. His police instincts had labeled the guy immediately as 'trouble' but had not pondered on it much since he figured the boy would be in college.

"That guy is in high school? He sure as hell is too huge to look the part . . ."

"When did you see Emmett Cullen?" Bella asked.

"I visited Dr. Cullen at his home when they first moved in. He's an admirable man, what with two adopted children. And Mrs. Cullen, a lady through and through. Never thought a rich woman like her would be found with cookie dough on her hands, but she does make a mean chocolate cookie!"

"Why would you visit them? You don't normally visit new families that move here."

"No, not usually. But something turned up in the background check of his son. Just thought it was prudent to go over and introduce myself."

It had been an intimidation tactic on his part to ward of any future trouble in his town, but he had only found what seemed like a genuine, warm couple. Of course, the parents could never completely show what their children were like.

"Yeah, Edward does seem like the trouble causing type. He pissed off Bella pretty badly at school once," Angela said, looking innocent as a cherub.

Bella gaped at her, her mouth hanging open unattractively. What was going on here?

"The ginger? Bella what happened? I though he seemed the decent kind. It's that blonde boy that has a history. Dead silent he was too, definitely a trouble maker."

Bella took this information in with shock. Jasper had skeletons in his closet. Beside her, Angela seemed equally surprised that her random fishing trip had yielded such results.

A snap brought Bella out of her musings.

"What happened? You just zoned out there. Do I need to have words with this boy? Is he giving you too much grief? I can put on my uniform to make it official, you know."

"No dad, that's not needed. He's just a general pain in my backside and he did catch me at my worst. Nothing to worry about."

Satisfied, Charlie went back to his dinner.

That night, Bella tossed and turned in her bed. The fact that Jasper had something in his past to raise flags in his record deeply troubled her. What was more irksome was that she wasn't sure why she cared about it at all.

Dochebag.

* * *

><p><em>I will be busy with some paperwork associated related to finalizing my admissions. Hence, 'Immune' will not be updated this coming week.<em>

_I will also be revamping the initial few chapters, fusing them into longer chapters, since the length of the coming chapters will be more than the previous few._

_Catch me on Twitter KT8812 for updates and tid-bits on **Immune.**_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Yes, it has been a ridiculously long time. No, I am not dead, nor have I shelved the story. In my defense, I changed continents and am now well on my way to getting a PhD.

Many thanks to my Beta BookwormBaby 2580 and to NixDucky for all the hand holding in trying to get over my writer's block. Any and all mistakes are mine.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never was, never will be.

* * *

><p>Immune: Chapter 17<p>

* * *

><p>The next day in Forks was an expected grey one, with dark clouds threatening the apocalypse. Had it not been for the alarm, Bella would not have realized it was morning. Grumbling about the weather as usual, she got out of bed and got dressed for school. The sky didn't bode well for her after school plans and the weather forecast predicted a rather nasty storm. It would be brief, but bad, the weatherman said.<p>

Sighing, Bella reached her first class, English with Mr. Berty. Edward was sitting in the seat next to her, a wide smile on his face.

"Do you have to be so cheerful?"

"Why are you so grouchy?"

"Have you looked outside the window yet?"

"And you think mimicking a thunder cloud yourself is going to make things any better?"

"Aren't you Little Mr. Sunshine?" she griped, plunking her worn text onto the desk.

"I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day . . ." sang Edward in an annoying falsetto.

Bello groaned, digging the heels of her hands into her eyes. It was going to be a long day.

Surprisingly, the sky cleared up a little by the time the school was out, and though the weather report said it'd start getting worse by five in the evening, Bella decided it was enough time to stick to her plans to get to the Port Angeles library and back.

The half hour drive to Port Angeles passed without incident, but the near empty parking lot reminded her that she needed to get back home as soon as she had the books she needed. Leaving her raincoat in the car, she dashed up the stairs of the modest library and swiped her library card to get in. With the age of modernization, as well as increasing crime, the library had upgraded its security system. The library now issued smart cards with magnetic strips that people needed to swipe to get in after the official hours. Fridays the Library closed at two, but Bella knew Mrs. Smith would still be inside.

Sure enough, as soon as she walked in, she saw old Mrs. Smith, typing away at the ancient computer, a stack of books by her side, and the fresh bowl of potpourri smelling like lilacs on her desk.

"Bella!" she exclaimed as soon as she looked up. "You shouldn't be here dear; don't you know there's a storm coming?"

"I know, but I really needed to get some new books. With the storm, there'll be no going out over the weekend; I'd die of boredom if I didn't have something to read."

Mrs. Smith's wrinkled face broke into a wide grin.

"Only you, Bella, help me keep faith in this coming generation. Now, go pick out whatever you need and then quickly head home. I don't want you cutting it too close, and you have still another half hour's drive home."

Nodding dutifully, Bella handed her the past week's books and she moved further into the library to pick out what she needed. After much deliberation, she picked out the two books she wanted for the week. Her all-time favourite, _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the reigning New York Times best seller, _Life of Pi_. She figured the combination of classic and modern should give her plenty to muse about.

As Bella made her way back to the counter, Mrs. Smith beckoned her to come take a look at her computer screen.

"What are you looking at?"

"I just got this e-mail from a friend who's a museum curator in London. Apparently, someone anonymously donated a collection of letters to the museum, written by Keats to various other members of his literary circles. There are over 23 letters and they seem to be in pristine condition. Definitely the work of a private collector", her sunken blue eyes danced in excitement as they rapidly flew over the screen of her computer.

"Oh my god," Bella breathed in awe.

"I knew you'd appreciate it," chuckled Mrs. Smith. "But really," she looked out the windows, where it was now almost pitch black despite being early in the afternoon. "We need to get going."

She sighed and pushed back her chair, making to turn the computer off.

"Oh, but can I please finish reading this one? It's so interesting!"

"Bella, the weather is going to get worse. I don't want you to get stuck here."

"No, but it'll only take five minutes to read. I promise, I'll only read this one. You can go ahead and lock up, I can let myself out and the doors will lock automatically, right?"

"I don't know Bella," Mrs. Smith looked between the Bella and her car, parked at the front of the lot visible from the window.

"Trust me, I'll be fine. I'd have been done reading by now if we hadn't been talking," insisted Bella.

"Okay then, sweetie. Take care and get home safe and sound. I'll see you next Friday".

"Bye Mrs. Smith," Bella said distractedly, already settling into the old librarian's chair, eyes avidly absorbing the letter on the screen. By the time she reached the bottom of the page, she realized that the letter didn't end there, but continued on to the next page.

Giving in to temptation, Bella scrolled down farther, getting lost in the magic of the written word. It was only a loud clap of thunder that managed to shock her out her haze, and that was when she realized that she's been in the library too long.

"Shit," she muttered as she grabbed her books and made a dash for the parking lot. It was pouring, and the lightening looked menacing in the sky as Bella streaked towards her truck and got into the cab. Shivering, she realized just the short run had left her soaked. Looking into her book bag, she found a bunch of tissues and dried herself the best she could before putting her keys into ignition and driving off towards Forks as fast as she could.

Halfway between Port Angeles and Forks, the truck sputtered and ground to a stop.

"No, no, no. Please, not now, any other time, just not now, please," she begged as she turned the keys in the ignition again and again, to no avail.

Defeated, she rested her head on the steering wheel to take in a deep breath before beginning to rummage in her book bag to locate her phone. It was ordinary and utilitarian—she'd never been big on texting and talking on the phone—but this one time she was glad she had it on her.

She pushed number one on her phone, the speed dial entry which connected her to Charlie, and waiting for the phone on the other end to ring. An interminable moment later, the call disconnected automatically without having gone through.

"Damn static,." And sure enough, there wasn't a single bar on her phone, showing the phone networks seemed to be completely down.

With nothing else to be done, Bella sat in the cab of her car, waiting for a passerby whom she could flag down for help. Forty minutes later, with no sign of any life, a shivering, chattering Bella resigned herself to spending the night in her car. Stamping her feet to keep the blood circulation going, she was suddenly blinded by the headlights reflected by the rearview mirror. Momentarily stunned, she let the car pass her before she thought to shout for help.

On the verge of tears, Bella opened her window and stuck her head out in the pouring rain to scream, "Jerk!" at the top of the voice.

As if the driver had heard her, the twin red dots of the car's taillights stopped moving and, to Bella's astonishment, the car turned around and started coming towards where she was stalled. Fumbling in the dark cab, Bella hastily put on her raincoat and gathered her bag and jumped out as soon as the car pulled alongside her.

"Please, could you give me a ride to Forks? My truck broke down and . . ." Bella trailed away as she took in the stormy grey eyes of Jasper Cullen.

"Get in," was his curt response.

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she got in the car and they took off towards Forks. The atmosphere in the car hung heavy, the air laden with moisture, and the rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers seemed to echo in the silence that hung between them. Fine tremors ran amok through Bella's spine and she worked hard on keeping her teeth from chattering. Though Bella could have sworn that Jasper never took his eyes off the road, he reached forward and turned on the heat to the highest setting.

"Thanks," Bella offered him a grateful smile, though the only response she got was a tightening of his jaw.

_It's a nice jaw_, she thought, her mind slightly fuzzy from the increasing warmth which allowed her bunched-up muscles to relax.

The next moment, terror gripped her as she made out a shadowy shape in the middle of the road. Jasper had obviously seen the same thing as he slammed on the breaks which squealed loudly, the wet road providing insufficient traction as they went into a tail spin.

As the world tilted off its axis, Bella's eyes caught sight of the gleaming eyes of the frightened deer that had been in their path.

Moments passed and time narrowed to heartbeats. When Bella forced her eyes to open, her first thought was _I'm alive_.

As she took stock of her body, she recognized the slight ache in her chest from having been caught by the seat belt. Her toes, encased in her sodden sneakers wiggled on her command just fine and finally, finally she became aware of the curious warmth surrounding her left hand.

Glancing down, she found her hand resting on Jasper's thigh, held tightly in his hand. The sound of his ragged breathing compelled her to look at him and she saw fear in his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked, voice rough from the tension, but she detected an undercurrent of sincere concern. Hearing an emotion other than brusque dismissal in his voice thawed something in her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she croaked out. He held her gaze for a moment, but then she saw something change and his eyes turn steely, losing all traces of emotion. The next instant he let go if her hand as if burned by it, and Bella slowly withdrew her hand.

He cautiously turned the keys in the ignition and thankfully, the car started again.

An uncomfortable silence settled over them once again, one which Bella couldn't take for long.

"That was a close save, huh? Phew."

She regretted the words as soon as they were out, but there was no taking them back. It was not unexpected that she got no response from him. She decided to try a different approach.

"Look, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, but I really appreciate you stopping and giving me a ride."

"I deserved it. I was being a jerk," he said quietly.

"It's never too late to remedy it. Hi, I'm Bella Swan," she exaggerated as she extended her hand to him.

He kept his hands firmly on the wheels but looked at her through the corner of his eyes.

"Jasper Cullen."

"So I heard. Tell me, is Edward as much of an ass at home as he is at school?"

As expected, this got a small smile out of him. Well, calling it a smile was taking things a bit far, but it was a definitely amused curl of his lip.

His lips . . .

"I thought you guys got along well."

"Not much, no. Really, he's a pain in the neck and in other unmentionable places."

The amused twist of lips persisted, even widening a bit.

"You don't know the half of it," he muttered.

The fact that the only halfway decent conversation Bella had had with Jasper was about Edward didn't even faze her. She was just so glad he wasn't biting her head off.

But then suddenly the almost-smile disappeared from his face and was replaced with a frown. This look, she was well acquainted with.

No, no, no . . .

"How's your hand?"

It was the first question he'd ever asked her and that it was about her well being made something warm unfurl in her chest.

"It's fine, really. I get the stiches taken out tomorrow and it'll be good as new."

The frown still persisted and then she saw a marginal tightening of his fingers on the steering wheel.

"How'd he hurt you in the first place?"

"By being annoying, for the most part."

He turned to look at her and held her gaze. He held it for a second too long.

"Please keep your eyes on the road."

Turning to face the road again he continued. "Care to elaborate that?"

"I'm uncoordinated," she blurted and then promptly blushed.

"I know."

And the slight smile was back on his face.

"And how do _you_ know that?" Bella countered, taking a ridiculous amount of pleasure in the fact that he had noticed stuff about her, no matter how embarrassing.

"What does your being uncoordinated have anything to do with Edward?" he deflected, and Bella let it go.

"He was being his usual annoying self . . ."

"Edward is a lot of things, but uncoordinated is one thing he's not," he interrupted, an image of his playing the piano flashing in his mind. Anyone who was uncoordinated could never coax the sounds his brother could from the piano- without getting his fingers all knotted up.

"If you'd let me finish, you'd know that I wasn't implying that he was uncoordinated," she snapped.

And there was her feistiness again.

"He was being annoying on the phone, and I got distracted and caught my hand on the knife. I was cooking."

Once again he turned his head to look at her and this time his eyebrows were pushed up in disbelief.

"You _caught_ your hand on the knife?"

"I told you I am uncoordinated," she huffed, folding her hands across her chest.

"Indeed," was his only response, though the half-smile was back on his face.

Before she realized it, he was pulling up at her home.

"How did you know . . .?"

"It's the chief's house, Bella," he said, as if explaining a particularly difficult subject to a child.

And just like that, the awkwardness was back.

"Well, um, thank you, really, thanks a lot, uh, you can come in to warm up a bit, but then it's also getting late . . ."

"Bella, it's fine. You have a good night."

"Yeah, you too."

Cursing herself for her lame parting words, Bella got out of the car and was almost to the front door before he heard him call her name.

She hurried back to the open passenger side window.

"If Edward ever gives you any grief, just tell him you'll throw him a tea party like Alice did. Don't go cutting yourself up."

And then before she could answer, he roared off.

She stood there for a few minutes, dumbfounded by his parting words, only to be jerked back to reality by Charlie's voice.

"Bells, that you?"

Groaning, knowing she was in trouble, she headed back to the house where the light was streaming out form where Charlie held the front door open.

But that night when Bella Swan slept, she slept peacefully with the knowledge that though she hated grey skies, she loved grey eyes.


End file.
